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Obama's do-it-yourself gun grab can still cause grief for some

An emotional President Barack Obama pauses to wipe away tears as he recalled the 20 first-graders killed in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School, while speaking in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, about steps his administration is taking to reduce gun violence. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Obama's do-it-yourself gun grab can still cause grief for some

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama’s do-it-himself plan for keeping guns away from those who shouldn’t have them falls far short of what he’d hoped to accomplish through legislation after a massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School shook the country to attention in 2012.

Yet even the more modest steps Obama announced Tuesday rely on murky interpretations of existing law that could be easily reversed by his successor.

At the centerpiece of Obama’s plan, unveiled at a White House event with gun violence victims, is a more sweeping definition of gun dealers that the administration hopes will expand the number of gun sales subject to background checks. At gun shows, websites and flea markets, sellers often skirt that requirement by declining to register as licensed dealers, but officials said new federal guidance would clarify that it applies to anyone “in the business” of selling firearms.

They put sellers on notice that the government planned to strengthen enforcement — including deploying 230 new examiners the FBI will hire to process background checks.

“This is not going to solve every violent crime in this country,” Obama said. Yet he said the steps would “potentially save lives and spare families the pain of these extraordinary losses.”

Obama’s package of executive actions aims to curb what he’s described as a scourge of gun violence in the U.S., punctuated by appalling mass shootings in Newtown, Connecticut; Charleston, South Carolina; and Tucson, Arizona, among many others. After Newtown, Obama sought far-reaching, bipartisan legislation that went beyond background checks.

The gun lobby may be holding Congress hostage, but they can't hold America hostage. We can't accept this carnage in our communities.

A more recent spate of gun-related atrocities, including in San Bernardino, California, shootings have spurred the administration to give the issue another look, as Obama seeks to make good on a policy issue that he’s elevated time and again but has failed until now to advance.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch and other top officials declined to explain why Obama hadn’t taken these steps years ago and whether the administration had contemplated these actions in the past but determined Obama didn’t have the authority.

“We’re very comfortable that the president can legally take these actions now,” said Lynch.

After formally announcing the package Tuesday, Obama planned to continue the weeklong push to promote the gun effort with a prime time, televised town hall discussion Thursday. The initiative also promised to be prominent in Obama’s final State of the Union address next week.

Under current law, only federally licensed gun dealers must conduct background checks on buyers, but many who sell guns at flea markets, on websites or in other informal settings don’t register as dealers. Gun control advocates say that loophole is exploited to skirt the background check requirement.

Now, the Justice Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will issue updated guidance that says the government should deem anyone “in the business” of selling guns to be a dealer, regardless of where he or she sells the guns. To that end, the government will consider other factors, including how many guns a person sells, how frequently, and whether those guns are sold for a profit.

The background check provision rests in the murky realm of agency “guidelines,” which carry less weight than formally issued federal regulations and can easily be rescinded. Lynch said the administration chose to clarify guidelines because it allowed the policies to be implemented immediately. Left unsaid was the fact that developing regulations would have dragged out likely until Obama’s presidency ends and would have generated more opportunities for Republicans to intervene.

Hillary Clinton, at a rally in Iowa, said she was proud of Obama’s efforts, but warned that the next president could easily undo his changes.

“I won’t wipe it away,” Clinton said.

Republicans were quick to accuse Obama of gross overreach. Many of the Republican presidential candidates have vowed to rip up new Obama gun restrictions upon taking office, and some lawmakers are contemplating withholding Justice Department funds if it tries to implement them.

“Obama’s declaration that he will impose his gun control agenda by executive order shows an utter disregard for the Second Amendment as well as the proper constitutional process for making laws in our nation,” GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush wrote Tuesday in an op-ed in Iowa’s Cedar Rapids Gazette.

The new guidance still exempts collectors and gun hobbyists, and the exact definition of who must register as a dealer and conduct background checks remains exceedingly vague. The administration did not issue a number for how many guns someone must sell to be considered a dealer, instead saying it planned to remind people that courts have deemed people to be dealers in some cases even if they only sell one or two guns.

The White House said it planned to ask Congress for $500 million to improve mental health care. Obama also issued a memorandum directing federal agencies to conduct or sponsor research into smart gun technology that reduces the risk of accidental gun discharges.

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The rifles used in the San Bernadino terrorist attack were acquired as a straw purchase. The neighbor bought them for the couple. Straw purchases are already illegal. And just how does he intend to enforce his new pseudo-law?

He doesn’t care about “enforcing it”, txgoatlady. THIS latest effort is a TRIAL BALLOON to see if he can get away with attacking the Second Amendment by executive order. If he gets away with this LATEST power grab, you can bet the NEXT one will be MUCH BIGGER. Crocodile tears notwithstanding, if he gets his way, you won’t see him shedding any tears for the children who will die after he declares martial law and orders the military to start spraying bullets into crowds of DISARMED civilians who now have NO MEANS to prevent him seizing power as a DICTATOR. The ONLY reason he has not yet declared himself “dear leader for life” is because the entire country is armed. (Even BETTER armed since he arrived–he has done more for gun sales in the US than anybody in HISTORY!)

Subtlety is NOT his strong point. His thirst for power and determination to get it are on display for ALL to see. Do NOT be fooled by a few crocodile tears. I think he must have taken crying lessons from John Boehner, who seemed to be able to cry on cue at any time.

For that matter, I’ve begin to wonder if all these “mass shootings” were entirely random and the work of “lone wolf” nut cases at all? It seems MIGHTY convenient that EVERY SINGLE TIME Obongo starts one of his GUN GRAB drives, some nut comes out of the woodwork and obligingly provides him ammunition for his efforts by shooting a bunch of people. Virtually ALL of them were left-wing Democrats or Muslim terrorists–two of Obama’s favorite kind of people. IS that just a coincidence? Can’t help but wonder!

And yes, I am WELL AWARE how paranoid that sounds, but I believe with the Muslim TRAITOR we have in the White House, just about ANYTHING is possible.

P.S. He must REALLY be getting desperate! Why, he even mentioned all the kids who die in Chicago every week–which he has NEVER done before!

I am not buying his crocodile tears performance. No amoount of new legislation will stop the common criminal, terrorist, mentaly unstable from buying guns in the black market. It never has nor it never will. We just learned folks that this president has a future in Hollywood as an actor. What a disgraceful display of ignorance going to seed. Mr. Obama why don’t you visit your own town, Chicago or Baltimore or Detroit instead of just talking nonsensense where your incompetent demorat operatives are running those cities to the ground with their delusional and strict gun control laws.

Great screening test for this hypocrite in our White House crocodile tears and all. Obama you are not the king of America where you can go around Congress and issue your executive order edicts. Obama you treat our Constitution as if it was toilet paper and you cannot do that. Your delusional executive orders will all be rescinded when the next real president takes over our White House. You showed these crocodile tears for all the victims of mass shootings but did not miss your tee time after James Foley was beheaded by your muslim religion. One thing is for sure, Hollywood will have another leftist actor in you, Obama.

Like teabag already said, he doesn’t intend to enforce them. IF any of the laws already on the books had been properly enforced such as the straw purchase, the San bernadino shootings could have been prevented. Same with the Chatanooga church shootings.

NONE of these though would have done a damn thing to have prevented Columbine, Aurora, fort hood, Sandy hook, or dozens of other mass shootings we have had in the past 10 years though.

When The FBI is not supposed to accumulate NICS data, but somehow this data is showing up in ATF and other Federal databases, and this has been going on long before Obama, all this Obama stuff is a small layer of new icing that means little, since the Feds have been breaking the law for close to two decades and building their dat base of at least who applied to by a gun…in the case of many FFL’s who keep their data in electronic format, the Feds now have a list of who has purchased what gun and in a short time frame. Why the fuss now! Where has everyone been for 20 years?

another joke. keeping those who violate the gun laws already on the books in jail would keep the guns out of their hands. but no let’s penalize those who obey the laws and coddle those who don’t just because they are black? come on America time is short if you want your kids to grow up the way you did, free. otherwise they get the short end of the stick. you too. wake up stupid.

The Sandy Hook government production was one of the biggest hoaxes ever created. The school was closed 5 years before the government production was produced. It was produced to be used as an excuse to disarm Americans. Visit the Caravan to Midnight web site and listen to the 12/10/14 broadcast with Wolfgang Habig as well as the subsequent programs with him. The lies, threats, and false information regarding this government produced fictional occurrence is off the charts. This administration will do everything imaginable to be used as an excuse to disarm us and they are obsessed with collecting our guns. What will happen to us after we can’t protect ourselves can be viewed on the YouTube “Innocents Betrayed.”

Yeah, right. Tell that to the parents of the dead kids! Where do you get this nonsense? It’s not that I’d put it past this regime to do something like that, and I’ll never trust them about anything. But screeds like this one won’t help, without ironclad proof rather than conjecture.

If you sell a firearm through a website, especially if it crosses state lines, you must deliver the firearm through an FFL…that is already the law…so why do we keep saying those who sell on websites are part of the so called loophole?

Typical straw man argument. Just like the so-called gunshow loophole. Now supposedly selling as few as one or two guns can be considered “engaging in business” when other factors are taken into consideration. And what exactly are those other factors?

People sell their own guns for many reasons. Sometimes people experience buyer’s remorse when they actually take a gun to the range. It isn’t as though you get to try it out in the store. Or maybe someone needs some money to pay unexpected bills and the only thing they own worth selling is a gun. Or they find a new gun that they want and need to free up some cash and/or space in the safe. Since you don’t typically recoup your sales tax, you usually end up selling your gun for less than you paid for it. If that is a business, it’s a pretty poor business model.

Because, Jim Watson, they are LIARS. They know DAMNED WELL that “gun show” and “internet” loopholes were closed a long time ago–but it adds URGENCY to their message if they convince the public that LUNATICS can go to a gun show or on the internet and purchase guns without a background check. And you can BET that along with those UNNEEDED regulations, there will be other, more SINISTER “clauses” in his executive order that he is NOT talking about.

Obama has demonstrated in the past that he is more than willing to tell ANY LIE to further his agenda and get what he wants. Remember “if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor?” Was THAT not a BLATANT, BALD-FACED LIE? And HOW many times did he repeat that lie when he was peddling his Obamacare SNAKE OIL? As many times as he has been caught BLATANTLY LYING to the American public, why would ANYBODY believe a word he says?

Cause like all good politicians, they care not that we ALREADY have hundreds if not Thousands of laws in existence that DO THIS ALREADY (if enforced), they just feel if they can pass yet another NEW law, it will make them ‘heroes’ in the publics eye.

What Obama, the press, or the Democrats won’t tell you, is that a large portion of the felons they recently released from prison, were in there for “Gun Violence” related crimes. This new legislation isn’t keeping us safe, it’s exacerbating the problem. False Flag operations, and government coverups of recent “Mass Shootings,” is destroying this country. Even Hitler and Stalin would be impressed by what our politicians have been able to accomplish. Wiping away a tear, give me a break you gas bag. Move back to Kenya or Indonesia where you belong.

From what I read, the ones who voted against it pointed out that many of these felons typically convicted of “non-violent crimes” had weapons charges but were able to get them dropped as part of a plea bargain. So much for non-violent offenders.

Spot on txgoatlady. You never see what was plea bargained out regarding a conviction unless you obtain the court docket. Usually, they will plead guilty to other charges if the gun charge is dropped. You’re dead on.

Gosh, wwskydvr, from what I’m reading here, NOBODY is buying his little crying act. Go figure! Haven’t seen such phony tears since Hillary put on that crying show at a townhall meeting during her last Presidential run.

🙂 You know, olteabag, I had forgotten about her crying episode. You’re right, that was a piece of work. From Boehner, to Obama, to Hillary, the tears are flowing. I really want Trump to square off with her in the debates. If she cries then, he’ll rip her apart. Should be fun to see.

Obama has just unleashed the ATF on law-abiding citizens like IRS, EPA, and BLM on steroids. Vague language regarding the factors determining “dealer” status will enable ATF to send thousands to Federal courthouses around the country. Most will not have the means to finance adequate legal assistance and will end up in prison. Look for many more Ruby Ridge and Elk,Tx incidents in the heartland of America.

Go to, you crying HYPOCRITE, Barack the Communist. Why don’t you go into the inner cities with the National Guard, the FBI and the police and throw the gangs with guns in prison. Oh, I forgot Barack, you keep releasing felons from prison so they can kill with their guns. Barack, why don’t you sign Kate’s law. Kate Steinle was killed by a gun used by an illegal alien, right Barack? Oh, Barack, I forgot, it doesn’t fit your narrative of flooding our country with illegal aliens. So Barack, to hell with Kate Steinle, because she was an American citizen, right Barack? You are so concerned about illegal aliens and the gun violence they bring, that you released illegal alien felons from prison, who had murdered American citizens. You Barack, are so concerned about illegal aliens, that you have open borders, where illegals can cross OUR BORDER with guns and drugs, right Barack? What about fast and furious, where you and Erica SISSIE Holder gave thousands of guns to drug dealers and they killed border guard Brian Terry and thousands of innocent Mexicans in Mexico. You are really concerned about gun violence, aren’t you Barack? I have a great idea Barack, you can go to bed with John Boehner and you can both cry together, you phony HYPOCRITE!

Gosh, backpacker, I wonder why he didn’t shed any tears for all the MEXICAN kids who died as a result of his and Holder’s “Fast & Furious” scam? That was YET another scheme to get Americans behind the idea of giving up their guns. Those “Fast & Furious” guns were “supposed” to make it appear that guns were ILLEGALLY smuggled out of the US into Mexico, then brought back in and used to commit crimes, murders, etc., but things went south when the people they gave them to used them to kill one of our border patrol guards, and they were not able to hush that up.

I keep wondering that myself Backpacker. the cops KNOW who is in these damn gangs, and even if they don’t commit a crime themselves, they are BY THE LAW guilty by association on all the crimes their gang does perform. So by that, NOT ONE gangbanger should ever own a gun.. BT you can bet your butt all do.

Boy the Liar-In-Chief was really pulling out ALL the stops trying to sell his gun-grab agenda today–even squeezing out a few tears for the “poor children”. He knows DAMNED well that the regulations he is proposing would not have prevented a SINGLE ONE of the instances he named. The Sandy Hook guy stole guns from his mother–whom he also killed–and SHE had bought them legally and PASSED background checks. The Columbine kids were using guns they STOLE from their parents. The San Bernardino terrorists used guns that were legally purchased by somebody ELSE who had passed background check.

Oh, and the internet and gunshow loopholes he keeps talkign about? THEY DO NOT EXIST! THOSE laws were changed YEARS ago. You buy a gun on the internet, it gets shipped to a LICENSED GUN DEALER who will do the same background check everybody ELSE gets before you’re allowed to take the gun. Same with gun shows–they, too must do background checks on weapons sold. Right there he has already told TWO LIES. How many MORE do you think he’s thrown into the mix in his frantic efforts to render us disarmed and HELPLESS to combat his tyranny. You think he is arrogant and tyrannical NOW? Just WAIT until he succeeds in taking away your means to defend yourself and see how he behaves. I have an idea that Stalin and Hitler were AMATEURS compared to THIS liar, if he is free to do as he wishes. He would GLADLY slaughter as many WHITE PEOPLE as he could, if given the chance, as he has made no SECRET of his hatred for us, and for this country.

You can TELL he is getting DESPERATE! HOW is he supposed to declare martial law and unveil his plan to be Dear Leader for LIFE as long as we are all armed? So he will tell ANY LIE and put on ANY ACT–even abandonging his “cool” image to CRY on camera–to get those guns out of our hands.

This is another of his “trial balloons”. If he gets away with THIS unconstitutional power grab, you can bet the NEXT ONE will be BIGGER. You should be ESPECIALLY on guard because he sneered and said, “Nobody is trying to take everybody’s guns away.”

You KNOW he is a liar. If he SAID THAT, it is a red flag that is EXACTLY what he intends to do, and his eagerness/desperation to get it done is practically oozing out of his lousy pores. Even his crocodile TEARS cannot hide the thirst for power behind this renewed push to disarm us.

You are correct. These “loop holes” do not exist. I want to see the exact wording of this “executive action”. I’m betting there is much more “gun control” in there than he is admitting to. For example, say you have a large collection of firearms and you want to GIVE them to you children. Will you have to get an FFL and do the background checks on your own kids? And by the way, getting a dealers license is next to impossible for the average citizen without a store front gun business. If you can’t give them to your children, and you can’t sell them, what becomes of your valuable collection when you die?
If ob–thole gets away with this, there will be much more to come.

That’s an interesting question Baitfish.
Or what of the parent (uncle) who say wants to get his nephew (or niece) or son a gun for his 16th birthday etc?? Will they have to get a FFL, and do a backround check?

ALSO how exactly would a person do a full on backround check on another person without it costing them 100$ or more??

He is such a LIAR. He sheds BIG crocadile tears for the poor children, but how concerned is he about YOUR children, or MINE? SO CONCERNED that he is HELLBENT on bringing in HORDES of unvetted “refugees”, MANY of whom will likely turn out to be ISIS terrorists looking to KILL your children and mine.

Do you seriously think, if that happens, he will shed any tears for YOUR children? Get REAL. THIS cynical LIAR will do whatever he has to do to get his way and disarm us all. Like Hitler said–you can get people to agree to ANYTHING, if you tell them it is “for the children”. Isn’t that what this LYING TRAITOR just tried to do with his little speech? DO NOT FALL FOR HIS BS. He is a TYRANT looking to become a PERMANENT RULER. Do NOT give him the ONE piece of that puzzle he does not yet have, which is a disarmed and defenseless populace.

freedom 7 has nailed it precisely. I have never and my personal memory goes back to the late 70’s as far as understanding the idea of America and politics mainly because I was a change of life baby and my folks were pure WW2 generation. THE BEST and it saddens me that there hard work and determination is being pissed on so badly. Pres. Carter was horrible meaning the average American waiting in long lines to get gas to get to work, and the pigs in Hollywood and all the other secondary democrats who were in office in any way back then….still livin’ the good life. Didn’t see any problems with this. How soon they forgot that it’s that little guy waiting in long lines to get to work that pays for there “standard” of living!!

But in retrospect I don’t recall Pres. Carter tampering with the Constitution the way Obama has been doing throughout all of his Pres. When you think about it this is how Hitler became strong and “popular” he convinced the young, poor, and disenfranchised that “old” Germany needs to change and he made something else the problems. The everyday things in Germany became “yesterdays” thinking. Rather than see that every German has a reason to get up in the morning, keep traditions strong, and he did in some aspects but he allowed the “Jew” to become a problem for Germany. He did it in such a way that it massaged the thinking and became a constant focus point not everyday but enough that you knew he was gonna eventually make it a focus point. Then he moved to the next issue and then the next. You see he couldn’t just blast in with his ideas for Germany you gotta get the masses on your side it was a slow and fast process at the same time.

Charles Krauthammer once explained this. That Germany was never a weak country it was always a traditionalist strong nation just like the USA and this young guy was given an opportunity just like Obama. There was a distant concern for the”changes”
he was gonna make but figured he can’t penetrate the everyday thinking or the direct laws and contracts of Germany…Who’s got time for that? But that was his thinking all the time, just play it cool and being young and indifferent will get you through every time. He took advantage of it in every way, like a coward would, same thing with Obama…History is repeating itself. In a way I’m glad my folks are not here to see this day. They would never believe that the basic power points of the Constitution are being so sadly tampered with.

Did you see Obama actually fake crying? What a charlatan! Why would anyone believe anything this lying dog has to say about Gun Control. This “feigned sorrow” was a favorite ploy of Bill (the Zipper) Clinton as well.
Remember ObamaCare? You can keep your Insurance; You can keep your Doctor; You will save an average of $2500 a year for health insurance, etc. All lies, and Obama knew that was the case at the time he said them.
This is not about Gun Control; its about Gun Confiscation, and registration is the first step to that end. Do you get it? Compromise is capulation, so don’t allow this BS to happen. Ignore this threat to your Constitutional freedom and liberty at your peril.